Japan’s giant sinkhole repaired in 8 days

Japan’s giant sinkhole repaired in 8 days

A week after a giant 30 metre hole appeared in the centre of the Japanese city of Fukuoka the section of road has reopened.

Workers toiled around the clock and had almost filled the section of road in two days with 6,200 cubic metres of sand and cement. The road would have opened sooner but health and safety checks delayed the reopening until local officials could declare the road as safe.

The sinkhole opened up outside a busy railway station and threatened to topple nearby buildings. Local news reported the 30m by 27m by 15 metre deep sinkhole was caused by underground train expansion work.

The repairs included a sewage pipe, replacing traffic lights and utility poles. Fukuoka’s Mayor Soichiro Takashima said the section of road was now 30 times stronger and that there would be an enquiry by a panel of experts to establish the exact reason of the collapse.